University of Michigan - Michiganensian Yearbook (Ann Arbor, MI)

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Junior pitcher Bobby Garza takes a practice swing before stepping up to the plate. Garza had 3 1 hits on the season. . Neff photo Sophomore lefty Drew Taylor hurls a mean pitch from the mound. A left-handed pitcher.Taylor threw for a career high eight strikeouts against Indiana. . Neff photo 130 Sports t L Mm; i Wolverine k vein State. M not very Miloney pushing wght re performs pkhert four gin the fo construe Notre [

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eleventh nationwide in the Sports Illustrated on Campus edition for school spirit, Wolverines held undying support for their sports teams. Proof of this came during the Ohio State football game when the Big House attendance record was broken with 112,118 screaming fans packed inside the stadium. Upholding an expectation of excellence, the Wolverine athletic teams and individuals proved they were something worth cheering for by earning a multitude of awards and accomplishments throughout the season. While the women ' s track and field team secured the Triple Crown for the second consecutive year, senior golfer David Nichols qualified for the 2003 United States Amatuer Championship. And with the Bfc M MM H| 2 basketball team once again eligible for postseason play, no one could deny that it was great to be a Michigan Wolverine. f fo- trie vicfowl ' f fo trie - The Victors -

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BASEBALL 5wi Junior catcher Jake Fox readies himself for his pitcher ' s fastball. Smart pitching calls and great fielding skills made Fox an extremely valuable asset for the team. . Neff photo inq r I -f-itltt In the Right Drmction By Chelsea Anderson BASEBALL SCORES A change of focus driven by new coaching staff Rich Maloney.John Lowery, Jason Murray, and Scott Mallernee pushed the Wolverines to new heights during their season. In Big Ten performance, the team finished third, improving tremendously from last year ' s second-to-last place finish. They also conquered rivals Notre Dame and Ohio State. Michigan baseball was struggling and not very competitive in the past years, but Maloney and Lowery raised the expectations, pushing us harder at practice and in the weight room, which in the end showed in our performance in competition, said sophomore pitcher Drew Taylor. Team accomplishments included defeating Ohio State University three out of four games in a single weekend at Columbus, the first time since the Buckeye ' s first constructed the new stadium in 1999. The Wolverines also conquered No. 13 ranked Notre Dame and capitalized on the match-up against No. 1 ranked Georgia Tech, losing by only one run (6-7). Several Wolverines shined through their performance, earning recognition from ARMSTRONG ATLANTIC STATE L 4-11 RIDER W 15-1 GEORGIA TECH L 6-7 SAINT LEO L 12-13 STETSON L 5-7 BETHUNE-COOKMAN W 7-5 BETHUNE-COOKMAN W 14-6 OKLAHOMA W 16-12 OKLAHOMA L 2-5 OKLAHOMA L 2-5 NORTHERN ILLINOIS L 8-12 BIRMINGHAM-SOUTHERN W 10-6 WINTHROP W 8-5 BUTLER W 11-5 WESTERN MICHIGAN L 2-6 CENTRAL MICHIGAN L 8-12 CENTRAL MICHIGAN W 15-6 IOWA L 6-9 IOWA W 4-0 IOWA W 9-5 IOWA W 20-4 EASTERN MICHIGAN W 11-9 MINNESOTA L 3-9 MINNESOTA L 7-8 CONCORDIA(MICH) W 11-4 ILLINOIS L 3-5 ILLINOIS L 7-8 ILLINOIS L 6-13 ILLINOIS W 4-3 HILLSDALE W 9-1 OAKLAND W 10-9 MICHIGAN STATE L 3-12 MICHIGAN STATE W 2-1 MICHIGAN STATE W 12-0 MICHIGAN STATE W 5-2 PENN STATE L 5-6 PENN STATE W 4-2 PENN STATE W 6-5 PENN STATE L 4-6 NOTRE DAME W 8-4 OHIO STATE L 1-2 OHIO STATE W 5-4 OHIO STATE W 3-1 OHIO STATE W 9-4 WESTERN MICHIGAN L S-6 NORTHWESTERN W 9-3 NORTHWESTERN W 3-0 NORTHWESTERN L 3-8 NORTHWESTERN W 3-1 EASTERN MICHIGAN L 9-10 PURDUE W 3-2 PURDUE L 6-8 PURDUE L 4-7 PURDUE L 2-7 INDIANA W 7-2 OHIO STATE L 2-4 PENN STATE L 2-3 teammates as well on the national levels. Junior catcher Jake Fox was awarded the Ray Fisher Award, named Michigan ' s Most Valuable Player, and was selected to Baseball America ' s 2003 All-America third team. Fox, who served as co- captain, finished the season with a batting average of .357, a slugging average of .696, and led the team in home runs with 15. He was drafted in the third round of the 2003 Major League Draft to the Chicago Cubs. Teammate Brock Koman was drafted by the Houston Astros and teammate Jim Brauer was drafted by the Colorado Rockies. All Regional and Big Ten Selections were awarded to Fox, Taylor, and Mike Sokol, a fifth-year senior and the first baseman designated hitter. Taylor, a transfer from Georgia Tech, was also presented with the Geoff Zahn award as Michigan ' s Most Valuable Pitcher. Being recognized as the team ' s most valuable pitcher means a lot because it comes from my teammates. I had to earn their respect, said Taylor. He was the first Wolverine pitcher to win nine games since 1997. The wolverines concluded their regular season with a record of 30-27, 16-14 in the Big Ten and earned fourth place in the Big Ten Tournament. Baseball 131